1991-12-20
Added · Updated
The Insurance Control Service issues Communication No. D.94 to replace the outdated Communication D.20, establishing the classification criteria for insurance branches 1 through 18. The document defines classification based on hazard, subject matter, and coverage, and instructs insurance companies to determine whether new products require prior authorization or can be launched via simple notification. It provides detailed definitions and examples for each branch, ranging from accident and health insurance to motor third-party liability and legal assistance, to standardize market practices.

— INSURANCE CONTROL SERVICE —
Brussels, 20 December 1991
COMMUNICATION NO. D.94
Subject: Classification of Motor Third-Party Liability (B.A.-auto), All Risks, and Transport Insurance: Branches 1 to 18.
The present communication replaces Communication D.20, which has become outdated due to the introduction of new insurance products or formulas.
Its purpose is to assist companies wishing to propose new products in determining whether they must submit an authorization application for a specific branch or whether they can launch their new products on the market after simple notification to the Control Service.
II. CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA -------------------- "Insurance risks" are classified based on 3 criteria:
1. Hazard
------
The event that can give rise to a guarantee under the contract (Examples: theft, fire, accident, liability-causing event...).
2.-
2. Subject matter of the risk
-----------------------
The person (or group of persons), the property (or the set of goods), the liability of a person (or group of persons), the financial loss... that is the subject of the insurance contract and that is exposed to being affected (or suffering) as a hazard occurs.
3. Coverage
--------
This is the expression of the insurer's obligation towards the insureds, in the event that a hazard occurs.
III. THE CONCEPTS OF MAIN RISK AND ADDITIONAL RISK -------------------------------------------- Reference is made to Article 6 of the Royal Decree containing the general regulations regarding the control of insurance companies.
This article clarifies under what conditions an insurance company, without authorization, can cover risks that are additional to a main risk for which authorization has been obtained.
IV. APPENDIX ------- You will find attached the document displaying the classification of branches 1 to 18.
You are requested to inform us now of the receipt of this communication and to bring to our written attention any difficulties that may arise during its interpretation.
[Signature]
J.-M. DELPORTE
3.-
Accident causing bodily injury to the persons who are the subject of the risk (with possible additional extension to illness or certain conditions).
A person (with possible extension to family members) or a community of persons.
Lump-sum payment, compensation, or a payment comparable to that provided for in the legislation on work accidents (Law of 3 July 1967 or of 10 April 1971), or a payment in accordance with common law.
Individual policies (possibly family)
4.-
- specific policies
examples:
- policies for a specific profession such as for
farmers, highway police or police officers,
public officials, surgeons and dentists,
acrobats, artists...;
- policies for a professional sport (professional football
players, professional cyclists, professional boxers,
...) ;
- policies for schoolchildren and students.
Traffic examples:
Tourism and travel examples:
Sport as an amateur examples:
Miscellaneous examples:
Examples:
general ;
school institution ;
monastic community ;
sports club ;
sports ;
sports events in stadium ;
ski classes.
5.-
6.-
Illness with possible extension to the accident affecting the persons who are the subject of the risk.
A person (with possible extension to family members) or a community of persons.
Lump-sum payment, compensation, or combinations thereof.
Incapacity for work and disability. Guaranteed income, not linked to life insurance (annuity, capital). Incapacity for work - daily allowance.
Medical care. General. Surgical interventions. Hospitalization. Outpatient medical costs. Childbirth.
Diseases. General. "Serious" diseases. Special cases e.g. : cancer, childhood paralysis, childhood diseases.
Professions. Medical and paramedical professions. Self-employed. Professional sportsmen. Artists.
Tourism and travel. General. Medical costs. Tropical diseases. Hospitalization.
7.-
Event that can cause damage to a vehicle (excluding railway rolling stock) that is the subject of the risk, including theft.
Vehicle or a fleet of vehicles belonging to a person or a community of persons.
Examples :
Various modalities regarding compensation.
8.-
Event that can cause damage to railway rolling stock, including theft.
Vehicle or set of vehicles.
Examples :
Various modalities for compensation.
9.-
Event that can cause damage to an aircraft that is the subject of the risk, including theft.
Vehicle or set of vehicles belonging to a person or a community of persons (legal person or natural person).
Examples :
Various modalities for compensation.
10.-
Events that can cause damage to a sea or inland vessel or to a vessel for navigation on lakes, including theft.
Vessel or set of vessels.
Examples :
Various modalities for compensation.
11.-
All facts that can cause damage, including theft and non-delivery.
Merchandise, luggage, or any other carried goods and/or in residence or in transit, regardless of the type of transport vehicle.
Examples :
Various modalities for compensation.
12.-
Fire, explosion, smoke, subsidence, nuclear energy, storm, other natural elements (lightning, earthquake, flood, tsunami, ...) except hail and frost.
Coverage for labor disputes, attacks, acts of malice and vandalism and terrorism fall under Branch 08 insofar as they mainly concern hazards intended in the previous paragraph (e.g. a fire contract in the event of labor disputes). The same applies if they are related to these aforementioned hazards (e.g. : the mandatory coverage in simple risks of the damage "labor disputes - attacks" in the event of underwriting the fire coverage).
Property or set of goods (other than those belonging to branches 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07), as well as the civil liability of the tenant or user for damage caused to these goods.
Examples :
Various modalities for the compensation of damage caused to the subject matter of the risk.
13.-
Hail, frost, and all other hazards than those intended in Branch 08.
Examples :
Coverage for labor disputes, attacks, acts of malice and vandalism, terrorism and war fall under Branch 09 insofar as they mainly concern hazards intended in the previous paragraph. The same applies if they are related to these aforementioned hazards.
Property or set of goods (other than those belonging to branches 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07), as well as the civil liability of the tenant or user for damage caused to these goods.
Examples :
14.-
15.-
Liability-causing events or accidents involving the liability of a person or a group of persons.
Liability of a person or a group of persons arising from the use of a vehicle.
Various, with the aim of restoring damage caused to third parties.
16.-
Liability-causing events or accidents involving the liability of a person or a group of persons.
Liability of a person or a group of persons arising from the use of an aircraft.
Various according to the nature of the contract, with the aim of compensating damage caused to third parties.
17.-
Liability-causing events or accidents involving the liability of a person or a group of persons.
Liability of a person or a group of persons arising from the use of a sea or inland vessel or a vessel for navigation on lakes.
Various, with the aim of compensating damage caused to third parties.
18.-
BRANCH 13 - GENERAL CIVIL LIABILITY (other than those mentioned under branches 10, 11 and 12) ------------------------------------------------------
Liability-causing event or accident involving the liability of a person or a group of persons.
Liability of a person or a group of persons.
Among others :
Third-party liability of the railway
Third-party liability private life (+ possible extension to professional life)
19.-
Third-party liability professional activities
Third-party liability of public establishments
20.-
Unpaid debt claim.
Any industrial, commercial, or financial enterprise with a credit risk towards its customers.
Service provision and compensation of unpaid debt claims.
Examples :
21.-
The involvement of the surety insurer (the beneficiary wishes to realize the suretyship).
Any industrial, commercial, or financial enterprise that must deposit sureties in the framework of its activities.
Compensation regarding the hazard.
Examples :
22.-
(not included elsewhere)
Various hazards that interrupt, disturb, or cancel an ongoing or planned activity and cause financial losses.
Examples :
Financial losses: loss of profit, depreciation, exchange risk, ongoing high general costs, cancellation costs, ...
Various compensation modalities :
23.-
Various facts that can lead to liabilities or disputes.
The rights or interests of a person (legal person or natural person) or of a community of persons when they are involved in a dispute or can be as plaintiff or defendant.
Various forms of service provision or reimbursement of costs necessary for the defense of the insured's interests.
By contract, coverage can be extended to reimbursement when the insureds are the victims of damage caused by an insolvent third party.
24.-
Various events (accident, illness, death of insureds and their close family members, car breakdown, theft of the insureds' vehicles, fire, major damage to the insureds' homes ...).
The smooth progress of a trip or stay.
Provision of various assistance services and reimbursement of certain costs.
Examples :
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